All that matters
by melles
Summary: Let's take step beyond Lost son...what if Tim survived the shooting?
1. Chapter 1

Title: All that matters 

Author: melles76

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Slightly "Lost son", but not how you may think of it...

Notes: "Nothing belongs to me!"

2. notes: I used the songs "Who needs the whiskey" from the very talented Chris Cagle

and "You're still the one" from the one and only Shania Twain. Chris and Shania, I

hope you don't mind, because your songs are something else.

Summary: Let's take a look beyond "Lost son"…

Chapter 1

The 17 year old Josh was called to the principal's office on this Monday afternoon – again. His lip was throbbing and he pressed a handkerchief against it to stop the bleeding from the fight he ended up 20 minutes ago. It wasn't the first time that he had been called to Mr. Jeffries office and having the stubbornness of his father it certainly wouldn't be the last visit here. He was still furious about that same aged other boy who had the nerve to call his dad a softy. But Josh knew better. His dad was far away from being weak. That's why he ended up in a fight. That's why he stood outside the office now. And that's why he had to prepare himself for a lecture later that evening from his father. Josh took a deep breath before he entered the room – and stopped dead in his tracks after he stepped inside. His father was sitting in front of Mr. Jeffries table which was unusual. He had suspected to see one of his father's co workers here since his father had to run a crime lab and his mother was out of town for a seminar until Friday afternoon.

His father turned around, looked at Josh and then replied to Mr. Jeffries: "I don't know what's going on in his brain these days…"

Mr. Jeffries stood up. "Josh, please take a seat. We were discussing the fact why you end up in many fights lately."

"I told you already, Mr. Jeffries. That Mark Taylor pisses me off…" he started but was interrupted by his father.

"Watch your tongue, son."

Josh stayed silent and eyed his dad cautiously. He seemed tired, exhausted, disappointed and of course – angry. The stress from the last few weeks had taken its toll on him and Josh was aware that he played a big part in it. But that other kid Mark was a pain in the ass and he would be damned to let that stupid boy win over him by saying annoying things about his father.

Mr. Jeffries and his father talked for several minutes and after they agreed to give it a last try, Mr. Jeffries stood up again to round the table. Josh also stood ready to help his father standing up while he grabbed for the crutches leaning besides the chair. Lately his fathers complaints got worse than ever and Josh winced as he saw how troublesome his dad got up.

"I would be very sad if we have to suspend Josh from this school. He's a very talented young man. But I can't let him continue this bad behaviour, which I'm sure you understand, Mr. Speedle."

"Of course, Mr. Jeffries. I will have some serious talking with him this evening. Thank you for your obliging ness."

After exchanging good-byes Josh and Tim went outside.

tbc…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: I know, I seem to forget to mention a) "Nothing belongs to me" and b) again, a huge "THANK YOU" to my dear friend and beta-reader Jessi84! Okay, with that done - on with the show…**

**Chapter 2**

Outside on the hallway both of them stayed silent as they slowly made their way to the parking lot. They approached the car and Josh asked for the keys.

"In my pocket", Tim replied softly.

Josh got them out and opened the door for him. "You want me to drive?"

"If you don't mind", he answered and sat slowly down on the passengers seat. He sighed and took out a handkerchief to weep some sweat from his forehead. He was visibly exhausted.

"Are you okay, Dad?"

"No, I'm not okay. What's going on with you? Your mom is worried – I'm worried. Why do you keep fighting with this guy? I thought we talked about this already."  
"Mark's been rude again. He didn't stop saying annoying things about you and I…" he explained.

"You know better that to react with violence."

"Oh, c'mon Dad! He called you a sissy! What am I supposed to do about that!", he shouted with tears in his eyes.

Tim sighed again and leaned his head back on the headrest. "Alright, cool down. We will talk about this with Mark and his parents as soon as your mom comes home. Do you have his address?"

"Yeah…", he sobbed quietly.

"Did you at least get a good punch at him?" Tim asked smiling.

"I'm not sure…"

"Show me your knuckles." Seeing no abrasion Tim knew that Josh didn't fight back. "Okay, get me to the lab, then you drive home. You're grounded until your mother's coming back this weekend."

"But…"

"Sorry pal, but it's either you getting all the trouble or me. And I'm certainly not dealing with your mother about letting you go to your friends after this incident."

Josh nodded, wiped the tears away and drove them to the headquarter.

After he pulled into a parking lot, he stopped the engine. "How are you going to get back home?" Josh asked.

Tim looked at him. "I don't know yet. I'll figure something out."  
"I can get you…"

"No, besides I don't know how long it will take to finish the reports."

"Dad, you have to slow down. It's not good to work these long hours", he sounded worried.

"Yeah."

"Really. Your back got worse since last month."

"Of course! The lab drives me crazy lately…more stress means more pain. You know that."

"And I'm giving you a hard time, too. I'm sorry Dad", said Josh and lowered his head.

"Hey! It's not your fault, okay?" Tim said and reached for his son's shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Henderson got back from his vacation today. Hopefully he used the time to think about how to lead the night shift. I don't know how the Department could put him into this position", he said and had to smile. "Even Delko is better than him."

"Don't joke about Uncle Eric. He's very good."

"Sure he is. That's why he's second in command. Okay, I need to get in. The sooner I'll finish the paperwork, the sooner I'm home. Watch out for your sisters. I don't wanna hear any complains, understand?"

"Yes." He got out and rounded the car in order to help Tim out of the truck and then into the building.

On their way to the office Tim was greeted by several colleagues and policemen. They stopped at the reception. "Any messages?", he asked the woman behind the desk.

"No, Lt. Speedle. Hi, Josh. How are you?", she asked smiling.

"I'm good, thanks."

Finally they arrived at Tim's office, which was formerly Horatio's. He had retired 3 years ago, leaving Tim to follow his footsteps. But they had agreed a long time before that official step that Tim would take over Horatio's position. Unofficially Tim was leader of the team since 10 years. Josh pulled the yellow painted wheelchair from behind the table and Tim slowly sat down. It was much more easier for him to move within the lab with his "second Ducati", as he called it.

"It amazes me every time I see you how you two act together. The perfect team", Calleigh said as she strode by. She smiled brightly at the Speedle boys.

"Yeah, well, I grew up with these kind of things. I guess it comes naturally", Josh replied. "How are you? Long time no see."

"Same as ever. Just trying to do my job. But you are causing troubles so I've heard. Is everything okay?"

"It will be, after Linda and I get in touch with Mark and his parents", Tim replied while working on a file. He turned to Josh. "You better go now. Ashley will be home soon. And I think Lucy will be more than happy if you are joining her tea party this afternoon."

"Great. Just what I need right now", he scowled as he thought about his little sisters. He slightly shook his head and went. "See you later, Dad."  
"Yep."

**tbc…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Josh was gone, Calleigh stepped into the office and looked at all the pictures. Some were from the team, still with Horatio as their leader. But the most of them showed Tim and his family. "Linda's out of town for one day and your kids are already in trouble", she said amused.

"It's only one kid out of line right now. Thank God. I wouldn't be able to handle it if all four of them start to make nonsense."

"You okay?" she asked.

"Why is everybody asking me that?"

"Because you're looking exhausted."

"Well, I AM!"

"Then let Delko or me handle the lab. Go get some time with your family."

"Since when are you the leader of the team?" he asked over the edges of his glasses he had earlier put on to read the file.

"Since you don't get it, Tim. You can't pretend that you're up to 100. You need to cut the workload down. Even Horatio didn't work that much."

"He hasn't got a family to take care of."

"Right. But you don't have to do this alone. Linda's very capable of earning her own money, don't you think?"

"Sure. But what's your point?"

"The point is, you should spend more time with your family, Tim. Not with the "family" at the lab, but with your real one."  
He stayed silent. Ever since his accident, the whole team was there for him to support. His thoughts travelled back to the day almost 20 years ago. He just got out of hospital after getting shot at McCauley's jewellery. Luckily the damage wasn't that bad and after 4 weeks at home he was eager to get out in the field again. Of course he got a lecture from everybody on the team about gun maintenance before he was able to set one foot outside the building. And he learned his lesson. Surviving one shooting at Dispo day was pure luck, surviving the second was beyond everything. He didn't want to try his luck a third time and he spent hours with Calleigh to clean his gun properly. Little did he know that a simple wooden staircase would change his whole life again.

"Earth to Speed! Hello?" Calleigh waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention again.

"What?"

"You were somewhere else. I'm just asking you to watch out for yourself." With that she went away.

"I've already heard that from you…", he sighed and went back to work.

Tim wheeled into the fingerprint lab, looking for Eric. He found him on the phone with his wife. He held up a hand to greet him. "Alright, I have to finish. The boss just entered the room", he said smiling and hung up. "Mary says hello to you."

"Oh, thanks. Listen, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure. What's up?", he asked.

"Well, Josh took the car. Can you take me home?"

"No problem. Hey, tomorrow's the briefing with the Mayor. That means I can't get you."  
"I'm well aware of that. Did you get all the paperwork for the briefing?"

"Yeah."

The two of them had agreed to share work at the lab. Tim was the "inside-boss", while Eric got into command out in the field and on the official press meetings. Tim was like a brother to him and he would do anything for him. Which he did after things got worse with Tim's health. And all because one step of a wooden staircase broke as Tim went down to the basement on a crime scene. At first it looked like Tim got out from the accident with no problems. A few cuts and bruises, and an aching back. But then they had to learn that his vertebral column was damaged, causing permanent pain and temporarily paralysing of both legs.

"How are Michael and Chloe?" Tim wanted to know as he asked for Eric's kids.

"Good. But what did you expect?" he laughed.

Tim frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I've heard from Josh. Everything okay?". Since Tim wasn't able to get to play with his children at the usual school activities, Eric jumped in and became the "second" father of Patrick, Josh, Ashley and Lucy. The kids grew up with this situation naturally.

"I have to wait until Linda comes back. She can get more sense into him than I. Until then I'll just have wait and hope he stays in control."

"He's just as stubborn as his old man. And he's definitely right in the middle of his puberty. Wants to show his wild side."

Tim sighed. "I know the kids got a hard time growing up with a disabled father…"

"That's not true. You did great. Both of you."

"But we didn't make if you weren't there for us. All of the team."

"We've talked about this many times. We all did the best we could and I think it worked pretty well. At least with Patrick", he added and smiled again.

Patrick was the oldest son of Tim, he just turned 20 last month and was on top of his class ever since. Right now he was studying medicine at Columbia University.

"Speakin' of – when will he be home again?"

"Actually he wanted to visit next weekend, but he got a important meeting with one of his future professors, so…we'll have to wait a bit longer At least Linda's gonna be able to get in touch with him while she's in NYC."

"Okay, give me a call when you ready to go home", Eric said and went back to work.

"Sure."

**tbc…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, folks. Here comes the next chapter. Hope you're still with me…**

Chapter 4

Later that day Eric's car pulled into the driveway of the Speedle residence. He got out and helped Tim into house where they were greeted by the two youngest family members - the 12 year old Ashley and the 8 year old Lucy. Ashley made her way outside, saying that she was about to meet with her girlfriend Cindy.

Over the years Tim had learned to accept the help from his friends, but it was still hard for him. The first weeks after the accident he was practically angry about everything and anyone and it was heartbreaking for his friends to see him struggle with himself. It was Alexx who was able to break his walls down at least. She stayed by his side at the hospital for hours each day, talked some sense into him and encouraged him to go to the rehabilitation training. And she was the one who finally made sure that he asked Linda out for dinner. From that night on Tim Speedle was back – and totally in love with Linda.

"Alright, old man. See you tomorrow", Eric said after he had opened the front door.

"I'm not old!" scowled Tim. "By the way, tell the Mayor that I'm not gonna change the budget like he asked for. He has to find another way to save his money – there's no way I'm cutting down the budget for the lab."

"You should tell him that in person. No wait – bad idea. The last time you told him something in person he kicked you out of the office", Eric laughed. "No need to worry, Speed. Everything will work out just fine. He likes me" Eric replied confidently.

"Sure as hell", Tim said while he walked into the living room.

"Hey! That was not nice, Daddy!" Lucy peered around the corner with a stern look at her face.

"Uh uh, you're busted!" Eric walked past him to hug the youngest Speedle sibling. "Hi pumpkin. How are you?"

"Uncle Eric! I'm fine, but I miss Mommy", she answered.

"Yeah, well. She'll be back in no time, sweetie."  
"Nice to see you too, my beloved daughter", Tim said and sounded insulted.

Lucy turned around and looked at her father. "Mommy is mad about you – you forgot to take me to the ballet lesson. I'm mad about you, too", she said close to tears while stomping with her foot.

It was now that Tim noticed that she wore her ballet dress. He sighed and sat down carefully to reach her eye-level. He was truly sorry about forgetting her appointment. "Oh honey, I'm really, really sorry. It wasn't my intention to forget your ballet lesson…there's actually no excuse for it", he said quietly, then frowned: "How does Mommy know about this anyway?"

"I've tried to call you, but…but…", she answered crying.

"Oh, come on, sweetheart", he replied and opened his arms to let her embrace him.

"You didn't pick up the phone…so I called Mommy."

"Busted again", Eric said, clapping Tim's shoulder.

"Thank you very much. Remind me again why I'm calling you my best friend?" he asked while hugging Lucy.

"Because you can't live without me?" Eric joked lightly, then turned to Lucy. "How about you coming with me this evening? Chloe's got a new game. Wanna play it with her?"

Without hesitation Lucy let go of her father and grabbed Eric's hand. Lucy and his 10 year old daughter Chloe did get along very well and this way Tim wouldn't have to deal with two angry Speedle women this evening.

"You're a lifesaver. Thanks", he replied, still sitting on the floor.

"No problem. Mary has the day off tomorrow, so Lucy can stay overnight, if you don't mind."  
"Sure. Could you please talk with my wife, too?" he asked.

"I'm not helping you with this one. Someday you have to act like a grown man, Speed. Sorry about that."  
Josh stepped into the living room. "Uncle Eric! Hey, what's up?" he smiled brightly.

"Why I'm getting the feeling that I'm out of place?" Tim asked while getting on his knees slowly in order to stand up. He reached for the crutches.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there. You were hidden behind the couch", Josh replied and rounded the sofa.

"Could you please get Lucy's stuff? She's staying with Eric and Mary tonight". Tim finally got up and winced as he tried to straighten his back.

"Yeah. C'mon, Lucy-Lou." He took her hand and they both vanished to the second story.

"It's only Monday and I lost control already", Tim explained and let out a sigh.

"Sometimes it's like you are the fifth Speedle kid. Honestly, I think you should take a vacation, Speed", Eric sounded serious.

Tim eyed him suspiciously. "Are Calleigh and you trying to get my position or what? She told me the same today."  
"Because it's true. And beware of Alexx – if she gets to know those latest developments, then you're in really big trouble", he told Tim.

"That's what scares me the most", he started but was interrupted by his cell phone. "Speedle."

"Timothy Patrick Speedle! How could you forget Lucy's ballet lesson!", a very pissed Linda asked without hesitation.

Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Well, first of all – I love you too, darling'" he said, hoping that she would at least cool down a little bit.

"That's not working. I'm still waiting for your answer."  
"Well, believe it or not – I simply forgot that appointment. I already got a reprimand from Lucy and I'm truly sorry."  
Linda had to smile. She could imagine him right now – totally lost, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair with the gray temples she loved so much and showing a puppy face while he worked on trying to find explanation. She wasn't really mad at him because she was well aware that he had a lot of stress lately. But he refused to reduce his workload. So she tried getting him a bad conscience – maybe this way he could see that he needed to something about this. "She's still mad at you?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know. Eric's offered her to take her overnight, which she happily accepted without asking me – so I guess she's still fuming", he told her.

"And? How's everybody? Josh okay?"

"We're fine. I've got it under control", he lied and shot a glance to Eric to make sure he stayed silent in the background.

Eric just rolled with his eyes and smiled.

"Good. How are you?"

"Me? I'm alright, no need to worry. I miss you."  
"Me, too" she sighed. She missed her family deeply and she missed her husband by heart. She hated being separated from them, but she couldn't afford to cancel this important meeting in NYC. Not as a senior partner from the chancery anyway. Good thing about it was that she could stay at her parents-in-law. It has been a long time since their last reunion last year in June to celebrate Tim's 50. birthday. She liked Susan and Arthur very much – both in their 80's and still full of pride and love for Tim's and his brothers' family who also had two kids. And most important to her, she could visit Patrick who moved to his Uncle Andrew's family near his Grandparents almost two years ago to study at the Columbia University. "Grandma and Grandpa say hello to you all. Listen, I gotta go. I'll call again later. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They ended their conversation.

Josh and Lucy entered the room with a big duffel bag.

Tim looked stunned. "Sweetie, you just stay overnight! There's no need to bring all these things along. Unless you'd like to move out."

"But I need it all", was her simple statement.

'Women' Tim thought but stayed silent. "It's your decision. Be good to Mary and Eric, okay?" He kissed her and then watched as the two went.

"C'mon Dad. Let's eat something", Josh said and tapped his shoulder.

"Alright. Oh, I almost forgot. Grandma and Grandpa say hello to you."  
Josh smiled. "Thanks."

Both of them went into the kitchen. Josh turned around: "Dad, why don't you sit down and try to relax a bit?" he suggested. "You do know the meaning of the word 'relax', don't you?" With that he earned a dark glance from Tim, who stood in front of the oven.

"Of course I do! Something about…mmmh, must have slipped my mind…", he laughed, but stopped abruptly. "Jeez!" he said and looked around. "Where's Ashley!"

"I thought you had it under control?" Josh replied and couldn't help but smile. Sometimes his Dad was really absent-minded. "Didn't she tell you that she went over to Cindy? Said that she would be back at 8?", he asked.

"Oh."

After Josh had prepared the dinner, they both sat in silence while they ate. After finishing the dishes they went to the living room in order to watch TV.

True to her word, Ashley got home at 8. She greeted them and went to her room, after telling her Dad, that she had to prepare for a test tomorrow.

"Why can't you be like her?" Tim asked. It was clear that she was totally Daddys' girl.

"Somebody has to be the rebel of the family", Josh remarked Speedle-like.

"This reminds me that you better behave tomorrow in school."  
"I promise to behave as much as I can."  
"No. You don't get it! If you get into trouble again, you'll get suspended from school finally. And I don't want to see that happen. Understand that?" he said sternly and pointed his index finger towards Josh.

"You're the one who doesn't get it!" He stood up, threw his hands in the air and stormed out of the room.

"Josh!" Tim yelled. But he got no response. He sighed and hid his face in his hands.

**tbc…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes: Thanks for the reviews...here comes the next chapter.**

**Chapter 5**

As Josh entered the bathroom the next morning, he saw the used morphine syringe in the waste basket and coursed himself. Seeing this he instantly knew that his father had one of his pain attacks sometime last night. And that this morning wasn't going to be pleasant as well. He felt bad. Those pain attacks came with the stress and he sure was one stress factor right now. But he couldn't help it. Call it the famous Speedle-stubbornness or the Irish origin, no matter what. One thing he knew that he had to apologize and with that thought he went into the kitchen – only to find Ashley sitting at the table eating breakfast. "Morning. Dad's still asleep?"

"Hi. No, he's in the study", she said quietly. Apparently she knew what was going on. "Please, stay out of his way."

"Not a chance", with that he was in his way to the office down the hallway. He knocked at the closed door. Getting no answer he carefully opened the door, peeking inside. "Dad? You okay?"

Tim sat in the wheelchair front of the computer, wearing headphones. He worked quickly through some documents and wasn't aware of his guest. Josh looked over Tim's shoulder and recognized the Miami Dade Police Portal. Tim could see all the latest results and reports on his screen that his colleagues had been working on. He made notes on some of them and gave orders to the several departments. Josh also noticed his unruly hair and the ever present stubbles on the cheeks which formed a light beard and the dark circles under Tim's eyes, telling him that his father probably stayed awake since the attack. He sidestepped, making himself noticed.

Tim's head snapped up and he quickly put the headphones down. "Jesus!"

Josh had to laugh. "Not quite."

"How long have you been standing behind my back?"

"Just one minute. You didn't answer to my knocking."

Tim seemed to be absent-minded again.

"Dad!"

"What?"

"C'mon. You need to rest."

"I can't. I have a lab to run."

"Eric can jump in."

"No, he's at the Mayor this morning."  
"Then Calleigh."

"No."

"Even Horatio would be glad to jump in."

"I said no."

Seeing that he had no chance to win this battle, he tried another way. "Look Dad, I sincerely apologize for snapping at you last night. I'm sorry and I promise to stay out of Mark's way if you promise that you stay at home today."

Tim looked at him and had to smile. That special way to negotiate definitely came from Linda's side and once again he got reminded that she was the one in the family who had the real strength. He was caught – and he couldn't do anything against it. So he held up his hands in surrender. "Alright. Apology accepted. You stay out of trouble and I stay at home. Deal?"

"Deal."

They shook hands.

"Breakfast?" Josh asked.

"What time is it?"

"Around 8.15."  
"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Nah, it doesn't start before 9.00. So what about breakfast?"

"Sounds good. But first I have to call Calleigh."

Satisfied that he won once more, Josh went to the kitchen again.

Ashley looked stunned. "You're still alive?"

"Sure. I know how to get into his head, though I wish Mom would be here."

A few hours later after she had finished her shift, Dr. Alexx Woods pulled into the driveway of the Speedle residence. She didn't bother to ring the doorbell because it would take forever for Tim to answer it. Instead she used the spare key and let herself in. The house was quiet so she went for the backyard. She stepped outside and saw him laying in the deck chair in the shadow of a big tree and had to smile at this sight. He had fallen asleep, a book lay across his chest and he obviously hadn't shaved since a few days. Alexx liked that gray and black coloured beard on him. On the other end of the garden she could see Lucy playing with two class-mates. Alexx waved at them, not wanting to disturb her sleeping boss who needed a break desperately. Once Linda would be back, the two of them would have to give him a good lecture about his future handling of the lab. Sure, he was an excellent supervisor and his reputation as one of the best trace experts of the State was speaking for itself. But there was no need for him to handle everything alone, because that's what he tended to do. 'Men' Alexx thought. Lucy approached her and Alexx kissed her on the forehead. "Hi sweetheart. Everything okay?"

"Yes."

"How long he's been sleeping?"

"Almost the whole afternoon. He wanted to play with us but…I thought it would be better to let him sleep. He was up all night."

"Good thinking. I'm sure he's making it up to you later." She turned around. "Where's Josh?" she asked because his car wasn't in the driveway and she knew that he was supposed to be grounded.

"He went grocery shopping."  
"Alright. I'm going home. Say hello to your Daddy after he wakes up, okay?"

"Okay. Bye." With that said she went to her friends again and Alexx took one last look at Tim and left.

Tim awoke at the smell of grilled meat coming from inside the house. He looked around. Someone had taken away the book and placed a blanket over him. Checking his watch he realized that it was past 7 p.m. He had slept the whole afternoon and the taste of food made him hungry. He stood up stiffly and grabbed the crutches. He entered the kitchen and stopped in the doorframe watching his children who were busy preparing the dinner. Once again he asked himself how he deserved those wonderful kids. There was no doubt that he was very proud of them.

Ashley and Josh were talking about their plans for the weekend, while Lucy took the dishes at the table.

"I want to go to the movies with Cindy", Ashley said.

"I'm going to the beach party with Michael", Josh explained.

"And I'm gonna stay in Mommy's bed all Sunday."

"Are you sure about that?" Tim asked smiling.

The three of them turned around.

"Yes. Mommy said so", Lucy answered.

"And what about me? Can I stay in bed, too?" he asked knowing that she loved laying between her parents and telling them exciting and funny stories.

"Of course you can!"

"Thanks."

"Sit down, Dad. Dinner's ready", Josh said. Luckily all of his children got the talent to cook, so Tim wouldn't have to worry about fast food menus. And sending them to his parents during the summer vacations wasn't a bad idea, either.

"Smells good. C'mon guys, let's eat."

Later that evening Tim sat at the front porch, a bottle of water in his hand. Lucy laid sleepily by his side, her head in his lap. His hand caressed her dark curly hair. She had brought up some old family pictures earlier and now his thoughts travelled around Linda and how much he missed her. She was so much stronger than him and he was thankful that he had met this beautiful woman at a time in his life where he was about to give up. After their first weeks it became noticeably that Tim had begun to drown his problems with alcohol. Instead of leaving him, Linda did everything to help him and together they did it. He didn't know if he would be still here today if he hadn't met her.

_She caught me on the back porch once again_

_In the middle of a fight we both know I couldn't win_

_Then she came up from behind and took my glass_

_And she said, 'Hold me instead and soon the urge will pass'_

_And then she whispered, 'I'm forever by your side. And together we can beat this thing one step at a time'_

_And then she kissed me and it moved me_

_She took away the fear and pain_

_And gave me something new to soothe me_

_She said she needs me and she loves me_

_And with a woman as strong as that_

_Who needs the whiskey_

_I kept my weakness hidden for so long_

_But she gave me the strength to admit that I'd been wrong_

_And when I asked her why she stood right by my side_

_She said 'You'd do the same for me' with tears in her eyes_

_And then she wrapped her arms around me and hold me close_

_And said 'If you ever need something strong, well baby, just let me know'_

_She says she loves me and she'd never leave me_

_And with a woman as strong as that_

_Well, who needs the whiskey_

_I'm free_

_Who needs the whiskey_

Inside the house the phone rang, but Tim didn't really bother to answer it. Usually one of the kids got the call. And he was right, a few seconds later Josh came up, the phone in his hand.

"Dad? It's for you. The lab."

"Speedle", he said after taking it. He listened for a moment. "Listen, I don't care, Henderson. The report has your name on it and that means you have to handle it. By yourself." Silence again. "Yeah, well. That's how it works…no, I'm not coming in. That's final. Bye."

Josh frowned. "Who are you? And what happened to my father?"

"What? I had such a nice day today and I'm certainly not dealing with Henderson right now. Besides, maybe the Chief gets the hint of replacing him sooner or later."

Silence got up. Tim cleared his throat. "I wanted to thank you."

"What for?"

"You always here to help. Not just me, but with your sisters. I really appreciate that. I know that it must be annoying sometimes…"

"No way. I'm glad to have such a great family."

Tim let out a laugh.

"Really. I mean, look at those other families – they don't get along most of the time. Sure, we fight, too. But the point is, we really stick together. And that's important. That's all that matters to me."

Tim couldn't help but feeling tears coming to his eyes. He wiped over them.

"Oh, you don't get sentimental right now, do you?"

"Get out of my way", Tim said, his hand still over his eyes, but also smiling.

Josh grabbed the chair next to him. "It's okay. I mean, nobody's watching us at least. But don't let Mom know about this."

They hugged each other. Then the telephone rang again. Tim cursed quietly and answered it, not checking the caller ID first. "Back off, Henderson. I said I wouldn't…"

"Nice speech, Lt. Speedle. But my name's not Henderson", Linda said amused.

"Oh, sorry. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I haven't heard from you so I wanted to check if everything's okay?"

"Sure it is. How's the meeting going?"

"Speakin' of, I've got a surprise for you", she said. "We had some changes here and are about to short cut this event. That means I'm…"  
Tim didn't let her finish. "You're coming home!"

"Yes, I'm coming home tomorrow evening", she laughed. "What's going on at home? Something I should know?"

"No, no…it's just…Lucy's missing you…", he tried not to sound too happily. "What about Pat? Did you get the chance to talk to him?"

"Actually he's by my side right now. Wait a minute", she answered and a few seconds later, Pat was on the other end of the line. "Hi Dad."

"Pat!" Tim sighed. "Good to hear your voice again, son. How are you?"

"I'm fine. It's a lot of stuff to learn, but I'm really enjoying this. You know that I like the competition."

"Yeah, I know that feeling. Man, I really miss you."

"Me, too. Listen, Mom is worrying about you. She says you work too much. Do I really have to tell you what stress can do to you?"

"I'll already heard that speech."

"Good, and maybe you should take that hint."

"I'll work something out."

"Alright, now, is Josh there as well? I would like to talk to him, too."

"Yep. Hang on a sec. Good night, Pat. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye."  
Josh took the phone and walked away. The two always sticked together like glue.

Tim could hear him chuckle over something Pat must had said. He looked down to Lucy and gently shook her awake. "Honey, Pat's on the phone. Wanna talk to him?"

"No", she answered with closed eyes and went back to sleep.

"What about Mommy?"

With that Lucy's head perked up and she looked at him with bright eyes. "Mommy's on the phone?"

"Yeah. You'll just have to wait…", he began, but she already was behind Josh, eager to get the phone. "…until Josh is ending his call", he ended, speaking to himself. He already could hear them fighting for it. "Guys! Please!" he called and the two of them stayed quiet.

Short time later Lucy brought the phone back. "Mommy has something to say to you."

"Well thank you", he said to her and then put it on his ear. "Hey, what's up?"

"Just wanted to know if you could get me from the airport?"

"Of course! Just tell me when, and I'm right there."

"I'll call tomorrow, to give you the flight number and all. See you."

"Alright. Bye." He hung up and let out a sigh of relief. She would be home soon.

**tbc…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A happy and clean shaven Tim was entering the lab the next morning. He went to his office to check the notes Calleigh had made for him. After reading several emails and doing some calls that couldn't wait any longer he wheeled into the break room to find Eric and Calleigh sitting there. They were talking to Raymond Caine, jr. who had become a Detective in the homicide division.

"Couldn't find any relatives from the vic. I'll have to dig a bit deeper, see what comes up", he said and noticed Tim coming in. "Hey Tim. You're back?"

"Yes. So, any news for me?" He asked after Ray went away.

"The mayor says hello to you and he's going to check the budget again", Eric informed him.

"Really?"

"No. He wanted to know why the lab needs the extra money for the new microscope."

"Because the old one doesn't have the…wait, why I'm telling you this? You're the one who wanted that stuff."

"But your name and signature are under the order, so you're responsible for it", Eric laughed as he saw Tim's face getting angry. "Hey, cool down. Just making fun. I think we found a way to keep the level of the budget…"

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm surprised. How did you manage that?"

Eric told him his solution and he looked really impressed. "Good work, Eric."

"Thanks."

Speed turned towards Calleigh. "And? How did you do all the while?"

"Excellent. At least I didn't blow up the lab like Eric."

"Hey! That was like ages ago! Besides it wasn't my fault", Eric said.

"Hey, kiddos! Shut up", Tim laughed.

They looked stunned at him. "What kind of drugs do you use these days?" Eric wanted to know. "Because this was the first laughter from you in weeks."

"My wife's coming home tonight, so there's nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing that can ruin this day."

"Nice to hear", Calleigh said. Unfortunately she had stayed single since Hagen committed suicide and sometimes she silently complained about her status.

"Alright, here are the assignments…where's Little Joe by the way?" Tim stated.

"He's running late, he called a few minutes ago, said he's stuck in traffic", Eric explained. Joe was the newest member of the day shift and had still his problems to fit into the tight bond of his colleagues. But he was a good kid and they all supported him as much as they could.

"Okay, here we go." Tim handed out the actual cases and then made his way back to the office.

"Why does it take so long to land this damn plane?" Tim asked for the 10th time since they got to the airport. He was sitting in the wheelchair, tapping his foot slightly.

"Dad, I already told you 10 times that they have to wait until that other plane gets away from the gate. They are having some technical problems", Josh answered slowly.

Tim scowled, but stayed silent and went back to read a magazine.

After what seemed like an eternity, their plane-number was announced and short time later Linda stepped out into the waiting area. Josh saw her first and had to laugh about Tim. There he was eager to see his wife and now he was totally absorbed by a story not noticing that she made her way towards them. "Uh, Dad?"

"What?" he asked, not looking up.

"Mom's here."

"Jeez! Why didn't you tell me that sooner?" he asked and quickly tossed the magazine away. He wheeled towards her and was about to stand up. But she pushed him down gently.

"Don't even think about it, Tim. You don't have your crutches", she said as she kneeled down to kiss him. "Hey. I missed you."

He held her face with his hands, not wanting to let her go. "I missed you, too." He got lost in her beautiful and warm eyes. "Did I tell you that you're a wonderful woman?"

"Sure you have. But now let's go home. I want to see Ashley and Lucy."

Josh already took care of the luggage and was a few steps in front of them. Linda pushed the wheelchair towards the entrance. "I'm capable of moving forward by myself", Tim complained.

"Yeah, but after a few minutes you'll get so slow, a turtle can beat you in no time", she smirked and ruffled his hair from above.

"Stop doing this."

Josh could hear the both of them arguing in the background and rolled his eyes. 'Parents' he thought. 'One can't live without the other'.

After Linda had everything stored again she went upstairs to their kid's rooms. Since Tim couldn't take the stairs well, they switched the stories. So the kids were at the second floor while she and Tim had their rooms at the first floor. Josh always remarked that the second floor was their emergency exit in case they got into some trouble and wanted to make sure that Tim didn't get after them. Tim already told her about Josh's fight Monday afternoon and she wanted to talk to him in private. She knocked at his door. "Come in", she could hear.

He lay on the bed, reading a book.

"So he said you're grounded?" she smiled. She knew that this sanction was harder for her husband than it was for Josh.

"Yep."

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked as she sat down on the bed.

He took the book aside and looked at her. He had his fathers' dark features and she wasn't really angry about him, but she needed to know why he kept fighting.

"Mark doesn't stop to insult Dad. I really tried to ignore him, but it got harder each day…" he trailed off. "I don't really want to fight with him, but I can't let him go on either."

"Did you try to talk to him?"

"Mom, really…", he was lost for words. "How…how do you talk to someone who says that your Dad is a loser and things like that?"

"I see your point, but those fights lead to nothing. Maybe we should talk to his parents", she suggested.

"Dad said the same."

"Well, every once in a while he comes up with something useful, doesn't he?"

"Now you're the one who makes fun about him", he smiled.

"Just speaking the truth", she blinked at him and got serious again. "No, honestly I think it is a good idea to speak with them." She stood up. "You coming down for dinner?"

"Sure."

They both went down and saw Tim playing cards with Lucy in the living room. She tried to explain the game to him, but sounded somehow annoyed. "No, Daddy! You can't do this!"

"Why not? The card has the same colour", he said.

"Because you need a pair of them…"

"A pair? Like this?" He took another card.

"No Daddy! The colour is wrong!"

"Alright, let's start all over…"

"I don't wanna play with you again."

Linda and Josh just smiled and went towards them. "Hey, poker face. How are you holding up?" he asked his father.

"I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff…", he sighed.

Linda kneeled next to Lucy who looked sad. "Let's eat first and then we both try to get the rules into his head, okay?"

She smiled brightly. "Okay."

"Oh please, help me", he begged towards Josh.

"Sorry. I only play the real poker game."

The evening went on and Linda and Lucy got their fun as they tricked Tim at every round.

On Thursday afternoon Linda went to Tim's office finding him lost in thoughts doing the paperwork. She smiled. He looked so damn cute with his reading glasses and she stood in front of his door a few seconds before she knocked. His head went up and he smiled at her sight, waving his hand to let her in.

"Ready?" she asked.

"In a minute", he said and signed a few papers. Then he grabbed the phone. "Eric? I'm heading out for a while. Could you cover for me?", he waited for an answer. "Great. Thanks." Then he stood up troublesome and rounded the corner on his crutches to join her. She frowned. "Pat's not going to be pleased to hear that you don't take care of yourself. When was you last appointment with your therapist?"

"Stop telling me that. Things will get better. I've heard that Henderson will be transferred. That means more time for me."

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"For us, of course. I promise to get in touch with Steve next month", he said as they walked slowly towards the entrance.

Short time later they pulled into the driveway of Mark's parents house. They had called them in order to clear things between their sons.

After they had finished their conservation, which wasn't really successful, Linda and Tim got into the car again. "I get the feeling that there's something going on. Mark and his mother were silent all the time. And his father – I don't know. He seems to be a cold hearted man", Linda say while driving back to the lab.

"Yeah, just what I thought. I'll do some research", he said after he got out and went inside. Linda drove off to the office.

**tbc…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: Here it is - the final chapter… I hope you enjoyed my little piece…  
**

**Chapter 7**

As Tim got home that evening, he was awaited from Josh at the porch. "And? How did it go?"

"Oh, not like we had hoped for", Tim answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's get inside first, okay?"

"And?" Josh asked once they settled down in the kitchen after grabbing something to drink.

"We talked to his parents, well, actually we talked with his father because Mark and his mother didn't say a word. That made us suspicious and we were right about it. After I got back to the lab, I did some research. Mark's father is known for beating his wife and kid several times before, but she never gave up any statements. So he can't be punished."  
"That's ridiculous! How can you say that?" he shouted.

"That's the way it works. We can't do anything, until…"

"…one of them ends up dead…", Josh said angrily.

"Look, Mom's already working something out with the Social Service. We'll have to wait until she comes home."

Josh's head went up. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"No harm done. It's okay to have those emotions."  
"But I still don't get it why he acts like this."

"Maybe he's just jealous about you. Or maybe it's his way to get attention. I don't know."

"You'll think he knew that we could help them?"

"Well, at least that's what we're doing right now."

Linda came home late at night, which the others already in bed including her husband. She put her things in the study and went to bed after eating a bit from the leftovers.

After she settled down on her side of the bed she stayed awake for several minutes. She was startled when she heard Tim mumbling: "Could you please stop tossing and turning around?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's bothering you?" he asked after a moment.

"I called Marty from the Social Service and Judge Emerald. They will look into the case tomorrow. But I still feel bad for Mark and Bridget. I want them to be safe real soon."

"So do I, but we've done enough for today. Why are you so late tonight anyway?"

"Sammy needed an apply for a petition. It was complicated to get all the papers right. You know Sammy, she freaks out when it comes to work under pressure."  
"I would like to see her one day in the lab. She would be losing her mind."

They stayed silent for a while.

"Are we doing the right thing, Tim?"

She heard no answer and sighed. How could he get asleep so easily?

"I keep asking me that all day long. My heart says yes", he finally answered.

"And we both know that you have a good heart", she said and turned around to caress his cheek. They kissed deeply.

A few days later Tim got a call from Linda in his office. She told him that Bridget finally committed towards the social worker that her husband had abused her several times. With that things started to roll and by the end of the week, Maurice was arrested by the police.

As Tim got home one evening he went straight to the kitchen to grab a bottle of non-alcoholic beer. Then he made his way to the backyard. He could hear Josh grumble over something and stepped outside. He looked up and greeted his father. "Hi Dad! Good timing! I need your help."

"What's up?" he asked as he sat down and opened the bottle.

"See, we've been playing basketball and I did this", he explained and showed a move.

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is, Mr. Speedle, that Josh stepped over the line. So this shoot doesn't count", Mark replied quietly from the corner of the field.

"Point taken. Josh, the shoot doesn't count", he said and took a sip.

"Alright. But it's still 8 to 15 for me. Hey! Why are you drinking beer? It's Wednesday and I think you'll have to work tomorrow…"

"Yes. And I'm a grown man and can do whatever I want", he shot back. "Besides it's non-alcoholic."

"Can't you take a hint? Just tell me the reason you are celebrating."

"The reason? Well, Henderson's out of the game Friday afternoon…and that's fantastic."

"Great. I mean, I don't feel lucky for Henderson, but that means you'll be home more often, right?"

"Right."

"Good", he said and turned to Mark. "Move on, pal."

Tim watched to two of them playing along and smiled. After an hour they stopped exhausted and Josh went inside to get something to drink. Mark stood alone in the garden.

"Hey, come here. I don't bite", Tim offered.

"Thanks, Mr. Speedle", Mark answered hesitantly and walked up to him. He eyed Tim carefully as he sat down at the porch. "I'm sorry for my behaviour and the trouble I've caused", he said finally.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a pleasant time, but I guess we worked it out quite well, don't you think?"

"I never wanted to …", he began, but was interrupted as Josh got back with two bottles of water. They drank a good amount of it.

"You wanted to say something, Mark", Tim said after a while.

"Never mind."

"No, go on. You know, your father isn't here and he can't beat you. You were afraid of saying your opinion in front of him. I'm not your father. I'm just a guy who's interested by this obviously very talented basketball player."

Mark stayed quiet. "You mean that for sure?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"That I'm talented?"

"Sure you are."

"But I lost."

"It isn't about winning every game. It's how you play it. You're a good guy. Don't believe your father. He wasn't paying attention and didn't see your talents."

Mark nodded. "All I wanted to say was thank you for your help, Mr. Speedle."

"You're welcome. And it's Tim. Mr. Speedle sounds so…old…don't you think?"

"You ARE old, Dad!" Josh laughed which earned him a smack on his arm.

"Stop saying this in front of other people", he smiled.

"Dad, I wanted to ask if Mark could come to the barbeque next Saturday?", Josh asked.

Tim thought about it. "Is that alright with you? I mean, there will be a lot of people around…"  
They did the barbeque because Patrick and his girlfriend were coming home for a few days. And because Alexx was his Godmother, she would be here as well. There was nothing that could stop her to see him, since she was so proud of him to study medicine.

"I would like to come. As long as Josh stays near I'm okay", he answered. "Of course I can help with the preparations and I will pay for the food…"

"I don't want you to pay for the food. Be our guest", Tim said and was happy to see Mark's face lighten up.

"Thank you, Sir…I mean, Tim. That means a lot to me."

Saturday afternoon the Speedle's were busy preparing the food for the barbeque as the doorbell rang. "Could someone please get it?" Tim shouted from the kitchen. Linda answered it and was stunned to see Bridget and Mark standing in front of her. "Hi. Please come in", she offered.

But Bridget refused. "No thanks. I just wanted to bring Mark and this", she said and gave her a cake. "I've heard about the barbeque and thought that you'd like to eat some dessert."

"Thank you very much. It wasn't necessary."  
"But I wanted to. There's no way to show my thankfulness to you and your husband", she said and turned to Mark. "Have fun. I'll get you around 7."

"Oh, that's way too early. We are known for celebrating for hours. Mark can stay overnight, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't want him to be a burden…"

"Bridget, neither him or you are a burden. Why don't you stay, at least a little bit?"

"Come on, Mom. They are cool", Mark said and stepped inside.

"But only for a little while."

They walked past the kitchen and Tim asked "Who was it?"

Linda peeked inside. "It's Bridget and Mark. I said that Mark can stay overnight and also invited Bridget to stay a while, since she brought a cake."

"Good. I'm coming soon."

Linda let them in the backyard where Josh and Ashley already got the grill into position. "Hey Mark! Good to see you. Hi Bridget", Josh said. Mark went over in order to help them with the tables and chairs. Lucy placed table-cloths on it. Linda and Bridget sat down to watch the kids. "Your kids are amazing", Bridget said as she waved to them.

"Thanks, but Mark's a great guy, too."

"You're such a blessed woman, Linda. To have such a wonderful family and loving husband", she sighed.

"Don't give up, Bridget. I know that you'll find the right one someday. I mean, Tim and I met in our early thirties. Before that, we all had to learn our parts. You can't imagine how unbelievable stubborn my husband can be."

They sat for a while and it was then as Linda noticed that Tim wasn't coming out. "Excuse me, I'll need to drag Tim out from the kitchen each time."

A few minutes later Tim appeared on the porch, still wearing his apron. "Hi Bridget. How are you?" he asked and sat down slowly.

"Good. Better than ever, to be honest."

"Nice to hear."

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, the same as ever."

Linda got out with lemonade and all of them gathered together at the porch.

Two hours later, the doorbell rang again and Tim immediately looked at his watch. Linda noticed this and smiled. He had been nervous all day long and couldn't wait to meet Patrick again. "I'll get it, Dad", Josh said and jogged through the garden. He came back alone. "Wrong address", he said and shrugged. Tim's face fell. Unnoticed to him, Pat sneaked up from behind and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and – was speechless.

"Hi, Dad", Patrick said hugging him.

"Uh, Pat", he finally managed to get out, still holding his oldest son.

"Dad, you can let go now", Pat laughed.

"Sorry." He looked at him. He was definitely wearing the famous Speedle grin, although he had light brown hair and green eyes which came from Linda's side. "Man, it's good to see you. You don't know how I longed for this moment."

"Mom told me when she was in NYC. Thought we'd better show up real soon", he said and stepped aside to let his girlfriend Kelly greet them as well.  
Tim introduced Bridget and Mark to them and vice versa.

Alexx came soon after and she couldn't help but smile to see that everyone had gathered around Tim and Linda. Patrick went to her. "Alexx! Good to see you!"

"Patty, honey, I've missed you", she said and hugged him as well.

"Can't wait to tell you my latest test results…"

"I'm eager to know if you already chose your special field?"

"Neurology." His father's sickness had played a big part in choosing this.

Alexx nodded. "I'm impressed. Did you tell him already?"

"No. Later. First I want to eat something", he answered.

Another prove of his descent. All the Speedle's loved to eat anything anytime anywhere.

The evening went on and sometime around midnight, Bridget excused herself and went home. Linda watched Tim as he was deep into a conversation with Alexx and Patrick. He had looked forward to this day since months and his joy was clearly visible. She smiled and let out a deep breath. Things had started to get normal again these days and she thanked the Higher Ups that she had met him in the hospital all these years ago. Funny thing about it was, that she wasn't supposed to work that particular case with a man who ended up in a traffic accident. Actually she had covered up for colleague. It was there that she met Tim for the first time, who shared the same room. At first he stayed silent and she wondered how she got attracted by him. She often thought back to those days and after all that time she knew that it were his eyes that she instantly fell in love with. She was glad that he had found enough courage to ask her out, even if it had taken him 4 long weeks to do it. Although she always had suspected Alexx to stay behind all of this, which both of them lividly denied. From that day on the two of them had found each other and although they went through rough times, she wouldn't want to change a single day. They were meant to be.

(When I first saw you, I saw love.  
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.  
And after all this time, you're still the one I love.)

Looks like we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby  
We mighta took the long way  
We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better  
We beat the odds together  
I'm glad we didn't listen  
Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night

I'm so glad we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby

(Is there a better way to end a story than with Shania's "You're still the one"?)

The end - or not? I've got a sequel to this one…tell me if you interested… 


End file.
